On 3 June 2026, Mattias Klum will open the HELMEPA International Conference at Posidonia in Athens with an inspiration session on the role of the ocean, biodiversity and human responsibility in a rapidly changing world.
Mattias Klum’s Asiatic Lion Story Featured by National Geographic
May 12, 2026
National Geographic has published a major feature revisiting Mattias Klum’s iconic story on the Asiatic lions of India’s Gir Forest — a powerful visual and narrative journey into the lives of one of the world’s rarest big cats.
Originally published in the June 2001 issue of National Geographic Magazine, the story documented the last remaining population of Asiatic lions, found only in and around Gir Forest in western India. Nearly three decades later, National Geographic now brings this important archive story back into focus, highlighting Mattias Klum’s intimate photographs and field observations from his time in Gir.
For Mattias, the assignment was both visually extraordinary and emotionally profound. After a year and a half of waiting for permission to work in Gir Forest, he spent three months documenting the lions at close range — capturing tender moments between mothers and cubs, dramatic encounters, and the quiet resilience of a species surviving on a fragile edge.
The newly published National Geographic feature, titled Iconic photos of Asia’s last lions, presents several of Mattias’s images from the original story, including photographs of lionesses with cubs, young males feeding, and lions moving through the dry teak forest of Gir. One of the images became part of National Geographic’s visual history, appearing on the cover of the magazine.
The article also revisits the broader conservation story: the remarkable survival of the Asiatic lion, its restricted range, and the continued concern that disease, natural disasters, habitat pressure, and human conflict could threaten the entire population. Once spread across vast parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Asiatic lions were reduced to a tiny surviving population in India. Gir remains their stronghold — but also a reminder of how vulnerable a species can become when confined to a single landscape.
“Working in Gir was unforgettable,” says Mattias Klum. “To be close to these lions, to witness their strength, tenderness and vulnerability, was a privilege. Their story is not only about survival, but about our responsibility to protect the living world while there is still time.”
The National Geographic feature is both a tribute to the Asiatic lion and a reminder of the enduring power of visual storytelling. Mattias Klum’s photographs continue to speak across decades — not only as documents of a rare and magnificent animal, but as a call to safeguard the habitats and species that remain.
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